“Contemplative practice” is just that: practice. The existence of a practice implies that there must be a “real thing” for which we are preparing, and in the case of contemplative practice, the thing for which we are preparing is life itself. While a practice can serve as an end in itself (in as much as God can and use the space created by our practice as an opportunity for direct awareness/encounter). But, our contemplative practices really start to come to fruition when the disciplines and dispositions cultivated in practice periods are seamlessly woven with our lives outside of practice periods – when we recognize that the same God we encounter in our practice is available and waiting to encounter us in the day-by-day, breath-by-breath moments of daily living. This integration of our “prayer lives” with our entire lives develops differently for each person. The sense of peace that so many beginning practitioners attribute to dedicated prayer periods will start to seem more pervasive over all aspects of life, or the patience cultivated in “waiting on the Lord” during practice will now readily manifest itself in a variety of circumstances.  People and events will flow in and out of our lives gracefully as we learn how to welcome and let them go, just as we do our thoughts. All time will be sacred time and all space will be sacred space, for we will recognize God there as much as in any formal prayer.